Checkpoint
by theBrillianceofNight
Summary: "Don't you realize that by dwelling on the past, you're just tearing up your own future?"  In response, Sasuke merely began walking away.  A blond-haired head bowed in defeat.  "...Bye, Sasuke."  Discontinued by me, continued by Echo Uchiha.
1. Chapter 1

"Sasuke..." The black-haired shinobi's name fell from the lips of his blond-haired rival. Hands hanging limply at sides clenched once more into fists and attacked again. Another fist, this one pale and unhesitant, slammed into the jinchuuriki's gut. A poorly stifled 'oof' escaped in the impact, and the last Uzumaki went flying. He landed hard, and lay unmoving for awhile, expecting the other boy, one he still considered a friend, to immediately go running off again. When he heard no sign of fleeing, he struggled to sit back up, and saw why the other had not yet left. The Uchiha clan's survivor was gathering his chakra. With trepidation, Naruto recognized the signature 'whistling' streaks of electricity.

"Chidori."

Naruto had no time to block, only had a small chance of survival through redirecting his teammate's attack at the last second from his heart to his stomach. He grimaced at the pain and the smell of burning flesh, his own burning flesh, but struggled to keep his mind as clear as possible, knowing he had unfinished business. Tightly gripping the bony wrist that disguised its own strength, he kept the escapee from immediately running off. With a pang he realized that Sasuke was not even looking at him.

"Sasuke," he croaked again, stopping for a second to turn his head to the side in order to not spray the Uchiha with the blood he coughed up. "Sasuke, what's so important to you that you would leave us? Don't you realize that by dwelling on the past, you're just tearing up your own future? Itachi ruined your life then, that's true, but now, _you_ are the one ruining your own life. Are you so blinded by your hatred that you can't see that? Not even with your _almighty_ Sharingan?"

In normal circumstances, Naruto wouldn't dream of bringing up the bloodline limit of his rival's fallen clan. But this was not a normal situation. And he would go to any extreme to keep his friend within the village.

Even if it meant driving the Uchiha to insanity.

Even if it meant sacrificing all of his chances to be the Hokage, or even a simple genin.

Even if it meant giving his own life.

He hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"Sasuke, come back to the village. We need you there." He paused to cough up another mouthful of the bitter, metallic red liquid.

"_They_ only want me for my Sharingan. _They_ are all holding me back."

"From _what_, Sasuke?" Naruto spat out. "Are they holding you back from accomplishing the goal your hated brother set for you? From throwing away the life you've barely even started? Or from becoming a traitor, just like Itachi did all those years ago? What are they holding you back from? And if you go, you're holding the rest of us back!"

"Why would I care? I'll be long gone by then." Sasuke seemed to realize that Naruto was holding him in place and immediately started struggling, trying to wrench his wrist free of Naruto's grip.

"Yeah, long gone in your thirst for revenge, so long gone that you won't even realize when Itachi's dead and you're about to launch yourself off a cliff for living when you shouldn't have." Naruto's serious expression flickered for a second, whether in pain or in the memory of a funny event was unclear. "If you leave, you'll never be able to see what's under Kakashi-sensei's mask," he wheedled.

"Idiot. You're still so immature."

"And you're any better? Chasing empty dreams and wisps of fog. Just let it go, Sasuke, _let it go_. Please. For me."

"Let me go," Sasuke demanded, ignoring Naruto's request.

"I would since you're so damn determined. But if I let you go, I'll bleed out before I get a chance to kick your ass later on and bring you back when you've had a chance to think things through."

"Let go."

"You really want to let the Nine-Tails go? If I die, he'll be released and you'll be here for it to crush."

"Idiot. Like I'll really believe that."

"So I'm the idiot? What do you call all of those times I've used power that I shouldn't have had, all those times you've seen that seal on my stomach? How do you explain - " he coughed another glob of red and clear, spitting it into the water next to them, " - why all those villagers hate me and love you, if we're both orphans? _Why__?_"

"Let. Go." Sasuke forcefully yanked his hand away, forcing himself to avoid those blue eyes that widened with shock and hurt.

" Fuck, Sasuke, thought you were better than that. I guess I thought wrong," Naruto remarked, still without any hatred despite the fact that his life was pouring out into the dirt.

"You'll heal soon enough."

"Idiot. You _just_ damaged the seal. I'm not getting any chakra from him. Anyway, shouldn't you be gone by now? Or do you think you'll enjoy watching me in my death throes?"

Sasuke seemed to find the question unworthy of an answer.

" Bastard . So this is the end then?"

Sasuke still did not reply.

"Funny. I imagined dying, if at all, fighting a massive horde of enemy ninja, taking down a whole ton of them with you fighting right alongside until the end. Never thought it'd be - " he hacked, " - ending from you, my own teammate and best friend, driving your signature move through my stomach."

Sasuke was still focused on something else.

"_Look at me, _dammit, I'm _dying_ here and if you're just staying for this, shouldn't you be reveling more in me bleeding? Mocking me since I'm trying to convince you to go back even though I know it's futile? Damn it, _Sasuke_! Answer me!"

In response, Sasuke merely began walking away across the disturbingly glassy surface of the lake.

"So this is it. Well, glad you deemed me a worthy enough cause to stick around for a little longer. Only wished you cared enough to say goodbye at least."

Still there was no other response from the Uchiha.

Unable to help himself, Naruto burst into hysterical laughter. That garnered a reaction from the Sharingan-wielding ninja. Naruto continued to laugh, even as more blood soaked into his already blood-soaked clothing.

"You don't need to say anything, not that you have anyway. I can tell it all from your eyes. No, I'm not insane. I just wondered if I did this to you, how would feel about me turning around and walking away like you are after you did that to me. I think you would probably be royally pissed, with all your 'avenger' stuff and crap. Do you remember that one time you told me I couldn't die because I had to live, to fulfill my dreams? Funny thing that my dream happened like this. My dream never really was to be Hokage. I just wanted people to recognize me as a person, and becoming Hokage seemed like the easiest route."

With cold indifference and a touch of horror, Sasuke noted that Naruto was no longer coughing because the blood from the wound was instead flowing into the ground, rather than up his esophagus.

"But when you finally acknowledged me as worthy enough to be your rival and teammate, I realized I couldn't get much better than having _the_ last Uchiha as a friend. So I guess my dream changed to protecting those around me. As far as I'm concerned, I've protected someone else from being killed by you by giving myself up instead. I'm sure I can find a way to keep the demon fox from escaping. And since I'm dying with my most precious person close to me, I guess that my dream has been accomplished. Even if it happened like this."

Naruto was rambling, trying to distract himself from the fact that he was scared _shitless_ at the prospect of leaving behind his loved ones.

Remembering his purpose, Sasuke turned back around, and prepared to take off.

"WAIT!" Sasuke risked one more look back at his friend, who was trying to get up in his hysterics.

"What?" Sasuke snapped.

"So it speaks again? Anyway, promise me that if any of the others come after you, you won't engage them in combat. Promise you'll give them one of these instead!" Naruto held out a slightly blood-stained envelope.

"Came prepared I see?"

"Promise bastard, or I'll grab onto your neck and I'll die like that, dragging you down into the water. SWEAR IT!" Naruto's sight was going fuzzy around the edges, but he had to make Sasuke promise to do this one last task before he could move on.

"I swear it," Sasuke conceded, snatching the envelope out of the outstretched hand, Naruto's other tan hand other held to the gaping wound in his stomach.

"Good." Naruto shivered, suddenly extremely fatigued.

"Hn." Sasuke took off, for real this time.

He sped across the glassy surface of the water, paying no heed to the fact that no wavelets came up despite the waterfall feeding into the lake.

"...Bye, Sasuke."

Naruto finally began to give in to the darkness pressing in around him. He let his body fall back limply, head hitting the rocky soil. His eyes fluttered closed while he hummed broken strings of lullabies to himself. Straining with the effort, he opened his eyes again to stare up at an opening in the stormy gray clouds. His eyes became glassy, reflecting the bright pinpoints that were stars in the dark blanket of the sky. Closing his eyes once more, he drew one last shuddering breath, then moved no more.

If one looked closely, they could see the mysterious thing rising out of his chest, like a tendril of fog, colored with orange and blue light, flashes of memories of smiles and laughter, pain and tears shining out from within it.

And if one were to know him as well as the pale, dark-haired boy standing on one of the cliffs, looking into a puddle and realizing the red and black pattern in his eyes had changed, they would notice that the former jinchuuriki's features were smoothed out, relaxed.

And unlike the warrior now filled with misgivings as he got back onto the move, reading through every note, each obviously taking much time, effort, thought, and care,

unlike the shinobi who was second guessing himself just as the other had predicted,

unlike the rival who had just realized it was too late, there was no going back, the checkpoint had been passed right over,

unlike the mere _boy_ filled with dread at the realization that his worst fear had come to life at his own doing,

Uzumaki Naruto was now truly at peace.

* * *

A/N: So, you think I should continue it? Or should I just keep it as a one-shot?

Review with your answer, please!


	2. Chapter 2

"Naruto..."

"...Sasuke..."

"...Naruto!"

"Sasuke?"

As if waking from a deep smog, the first thing Naruto realized was that he disliked his head being stuffed full of cotton.

Especially if said cotton did absolutely NOTHING to muffle his and Sasuke's names or the sound of crying. It had been going on for an excruciatingly long time, after _it_ had happened.

_

* * *

_

_Kit, I'm lending you this power just this one time. Just kick the bucket, is that what you thought you could do? Wake up and smell the roses... maybe the antiseptic or the chloroform, but it'll take a while. Soon enough, though, you'll be able to hear the voices of those other Konohan brats. After that, just wait patiently and don't try anything drastic. Oh, and I'll be out of commission for a while._ Don't _come looking for me._

* * *

And that had been it.

A little while ago, he could hear, but it was peculiar not having to breathe and not feeling his pulse beat at all.

And presently, he was moving, according to the change in direction of his comrades' voices that was not accompanied with sounds of _their_ movement.

* * *

At that exact time, in the room in the hospital that Naruto was in, Sakura looked up.

Then she stared disbelievingly, puffy eyes red and forgotten tears rolling down her cheeks.

And she screamed.

Shocked, Kakashi and the others turned around to an even bigger shock.

Naruto was sitting up from the surgery/medical table Kakashi had placed Naruto's body on after finding it, bloody and battered, at the Valley of the End, and bringing it back to Konoha. His body which, by the way, was supposed to be a lifeless corpse.

So it's excusable that Hinata immediately collapsed with a shriek, Iruka's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell back into a chair, and that no one moved to see if either was all right.

Then Naruto's eyelids lifted, revealing that he was, indeed, still dead.

"How - how-" Sakura stammered, unable to finish her sentence.

Kiba and Konohamaru, for once, were speechless, and even Shikamaru looked tense and ready to run at any sign of danger.

_**"Presently, the kit is going to wake up. Have the life support ready, some strong sedative, and prepare a blood transfusion, a big one, if you want him to stay that way."**_

The voice hadn't been Naruto's. It was much lower, much deeper, so much more frightening and chilling, suggesting lifetimes of knowledge and wisdom.

With one evil grin, Naruto's body fell back again, producing a 'clang' as his head hit the thin metal surface.

That seemed to wake Sakura from her daze. Sticking her head out into the hallway, she started yelling, ignoring her scratchy throat, rough from all of the sobbing she had been doing the past few hours.

"We need life support, STAT! And blood for a transfusion, lots of it. Get me a strong knock-out drug too. WHAT BLOOD TYPE IS HE!"

Kakashi seemed to be woken up by Sakura's sudden authority. Without even so much as a blink, he answered, "He's Type B."

"TYPE B! What do you mean, NO? Do you _like_ having your hair? And YOU! Do you _enjoy_ the ability to have children?"

That sent the nurses and doctors bustling into action. Any that didn't were 'escorted' out by Sakura, and the other genin and jounin were quickly sent into the hallway and out of the way.

All except for Kakashi, who, at the information that there wasn't enough sedative to be had, positioned himself so enough chakra to use a knock-out jutsu was stored in his fingers, and his fingers were hovering over Naruto's face.

So when a nurse was ready to stick a blood-carrying needle into a pre-inserted tube running into Naruto's vein, another nurse was ready to stick a nutrient-carrying needle into a tube running into another vein, an oxygen mask was strapped over his mouth, and doctors were healing his internal organs and stitching up his many wounds, Kakashi barely noticed a transparent, ghostly little wisp of blue and orange tinted fog drift in through the glass of the closed window. He shivered a little as it passed through him on its journey in. And as soon as the wisp encountered Naruto's body, it was sucked in.

Naruto's eyelids flickered.

And before he could register all the pain he was bound to be in, Kakashi prodded his forehead, transferring the chakra. Naruto's eyelids went limp again and his head lolled back.

But now, his heart was beating, and he was breathing.

Kakashi was pushed into the hallway to deliver the news to the genin who were conscious, Hinata, who was recovering, and Iruka, who was pacing anxiously, both having been filled in on the message delivered by 'Naruto.'

After hearing the news, everyone collapsed in relief, whether back onto the bench, against the wall, or in Iruka's formerly devastated case, hard on his bottom on the floor.

And after the floods of relief, there had been more tears.

For the first time, Kakashi grasped the idea of just _how many people_ the hyperactive ninja had made a difference to.

There was Iruka, but he was to be expected, along with Sakura and Hinata. What he hadn't expected was for even Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji, Kiba, Shino, Lee, Tenten, Neji, and all three of their jounin senseis to also be there in varying stages of grief and anguish. And even now - there were two of the Sannin, Jiraiya the Toad Sage, and Tsunade, the Hokage, storming down the hallway, knocking anyone foolish enough to get in their way aside. Tsunade-san had immediately shoved her way into the hospital room, taking over the care of her precious person, and Jiraiya had followed closely behind, yelling at the doctors and nurses who had refused to help.

And there was Shizune, who had been trailing behind them, muttering quick apologies with an extreme look of worry in her eyes for the blond brat.

It extremely comforted Kakashi to see all these people Naruto would have to care for him as he recovered.

But with a great deal of sadness, Kakashi realized the one person who Naruto would truly have wanted by his bedside, even if it was in the bed beside him, was the one who had killed him. The one who had run away.

But instead of dwelling over this heartbreaking fact of life, Kakashi focused instead on comforting the near hysterical Iruka, who had just been put through too much this day. And he focused on reassuring Sakura as she was finally herded away to deal with her loss and near loss, even as he himself was struggling to completely come to terms with the fact that he had lost one student and just about lost another.

And in the future, they would have to deal with the aftershocks of Sasuke's departure.

But for now, they'd be satisfied with knowing that one of their teammates, possibly the one most influential person either would ever meet, was now alive again.

Because he would be suffering along with them soon enough.

And they needed to strengthen and prepare themselves for that moment.

A moment that came all too soon, as blue eyes opened determinedly, refusing to stay still for any longer.


	3. IMPORTANT NOTICE

For those who are interested in following this story, it is being continued by Echo Uchiha.

I hope you all have happy readings!

theBrillianceofNight


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